Notification 2005-020

Dear Madam/Sir, The purpose of the present notification is to invite Parties and Governments to nominate experts to participate in a consultation to be held in conjunction with the 32nd session of the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition, March 2005. In decision VII/32, paragraph 7, the Conference of the Parties requested the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), and taking into account ongoing work, to undertake the necessary consultations and bring forward options for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its eighth meeting for a cross-cutting initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition within the existing programme of work on agricultural biodiversity, and to strengthen existing initiatives on food and nutrition, enhance synergies and fully integrate biodiversity concerns into their work, with a view to the achievement of target 2 of the Millennium Development Goal 1 and other relevant Millennium Development Goals.. Further, in its recommendation X/9, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) requested the Executive Secretary to continue to develop the cross-cutting initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition with FAO and IPGRI, and to consult with other organizations, including those responsible for the relevant existing initiatives, and, subject to the availability of the necessary resources, to organize a consultation on the scope of the proposed initiative in conjunction with the thirty-second session of the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition, to be held in Brasilia in March 2005. Accordingly, I am convening a consultation on 12 and 13 March, in Brasilia, Brazil, in cooperation with FAO and IPGRI. The consultation will be hosted by the Ministry of the Environment of Brazil. An agenda is annexed hereto outlining the main items for consideration at the meeting. Participants will be drawn from among those nominated by Parties and Governments and from international organizations attending the 32nd session of the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition Therefore I would like to invite Parties and Governments to nominate suitable experts for this meeting. Subject to the availability of resources, the Secretariat will support the participation of experts selected from among those nominated by developing countries and countries with economies in transition. This includes a round-trip air ticket on the most economical and direct route and Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) for the duration of the consultation. The provisional and annotated agendas for the meeting will be made available shortly. Please note that the meeting will be held in English. Thank you for your cooperation and continued support to the work of the Convention.

Executive Secretary

To: All CBD National Focal Points, and to representatives of observers